The Lion and the Leaf
by Sky Stormsong
Summary: OC STORY! COMPLETED! This is a lovely story of two cats from when they are kits to when they become warriors. R&R and no flames please. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Entering ThunderClan

**Yay, an OC story! Hope everyone enjoys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors and any similarities with names are a coincidence. All characters are my own.**

**~GJ

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Chapter 1 - Entering ThunderClan  
**

Leaves fluttered to the ground as the two cats, a mostly black calico with orange and white patches tom and a calico she-cat with an opposite coloring, stopped at a stream where strong ShadowClan markers were. The she-cat set a sleeping kit on a patch of moss and wearily lapped at the water. The tom watched his mate closely before padding to the small calico kit and gave him a good sniffing over. Satisfied the small scrap of fur was still healthy, he joined the she-cat at the stream and lapped at the water.

"How much farther is it?" the she-cat asked her gold eyes dull with exhaustion. "I don't think I could go much farther, Blackblaze."

He licked her ear comfortingly. "Not much farther. We're already at the border." Blackblaze pressed up against his mate. Bloodclaw used to be a rogue, but he fell in love with her when she joined ShadowClan against his vows as a medicine cat. Soon after Bloodclaw gave birth to their kit, they had decided to start a better life in ThunderClan.

"Are you sure they'll let us join?" Bloodclaw asked quietly glancing at their little kit still sleeping on the patch of moss. "What if they don't?"

"I'm sure they will." He didn't voice his doubts. If the Clan didn't let them stay they would become loners and have to leave the lake. Little Lionkit wouldn't learn about StarClan or his warrior ancestors or the warrior code. He wouldn't become the warrior him and his mate wanted him to become. With a sigh, he nuzzled the almost fully white she-cat except the orange around her paws. "Think you can continue on?"

She pushed herself to her paws. "Yeah." Bloodclaw fixed her teeth in Lionkit's scruff and gently picked him up. The kit didn't stir from his sleep. Blackblaze purred in amusement slightly. Ever since he was born the kit could sleep through anything. Together they waded through the stream and he took the lead since he knew where the hollow that housed ThunderClan was.

New fresh scents of ThunderClan met him and he raised his tail in a signal for his mate to stop. A patrol appeared and halted studying them. Behind him, Bloodclaw began to growl.

A pale gray she-cat pushed to the front of the patrol her green eyes taking in him and his mate carrying their kit. "Smokefoot, go back to camp and warn Oakstar we're about to bring ShadowClan cats to camp. If you run into your sister, tell her that there is a kit with them."

The gray tom she addressed nodded and left the way the patrol had come. The pale gray she-cat gestured with her tail for Blackblaze and Bloodclaw to follow her patrol. Bloodclaw's pelt brushed against his and he could tell she as struggling. He stopped and took Lionkit by his scruff so he could take him from his mother. She mewed, "Thank you."

"No problem," he mumbled through the kit's fluffy fur. They continued following the patrol and the small bundle began to stir and wriggle slightly. Blackblaze narrowed his eyes and saw the kit's bright blue eyes. Lionkit was awake.

"Lemme go!" The kit shouted aiming his paw, claws unsheathed, at the ShadowClan's past medicine cat. Pain erupted in his nose and he clenched his teeth so he wouldn't drop the kit. The little kit scratched his nose again and he screeched in pain dropping him. Lionkit landed on four paws. "That's better," he huffed. With his tail sticking up and head raised he went to Bloodclaw and walked by her side.

"Our kit is something else," he mumbled to his mate who was watching Lionkit chase a leaf. She nodded and flicked her ears as the leader of the patrol halted before a thorn tunnel. Bloodclaw grabbed her kit and placed him beside her.

The pale gray she-cat mewed, "Welcome to ThunderClan."

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**Like, dislike? Please review! NO FLAMES please :)**


	2. Kit With An Attitude

**Chapter 2 - Kit With An Attitude**

Lionkit padded behind his parents into the camp. Curious ThunderClan cats were starting to come from their dens or turning to watch the newcomers. Two kits, both grayish in color although one was darker than the other, bundled out of the nursery and stared. They were both she-cats, he noted, and figured they were sisters. Bloodclaw, noticing his staring at the two kits, nudged him slightly in their direction. "Why don't you go talk to them? Make friends?"

He could tell by her tone of voice that his mother was wary of her surroundings and didn't like being surrounded by so many cats. Lionkit also knew that his mother didn't like being there. By the stories she told him, he could tell she liked the outside world with freedom than being in a Clan restricted by a leader. So why should he try to make friends? Nodding, he padded to the two kits that had left the nursery intent on showing them who was the most powerful among them since he would be staying in the Clan. It'll teach them to think he was weak because he left ShadowClan.

The lighter gray she-cat padded forward and mewed, "Hello! I'm Leafkit and this is my sister Berrykit," Her tail flicked in the direction of the darker gray she-cat. "Who are you?"

"Lionkit." He didn't grace them with any more words, keeping his answers short. Leafkit tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. Berrykit stayed back a little behind her sister, looking at him with uncertainty in her eyes. _At least that kit knows to be wary of me,_ Lionkit thought.

Glancing back at her sister, Leafkit stepped closer and sniffed him. He froze as she grimaced. "You stink of ShadowClan. Are you a ShadowClan kit?"

Lionkit glared at her. "Yes, I am."

"You don't look as strong as I heard they're supposed to be," She taunted. His fluffy kit fur bristled slightly and he unsheathed his small, sharp claws. "Oohh, what are you gonna do? Attack me?" Leafkit giggled, but unsheathed her claws in preparation. Lionkit lost some of his anger at this action. He thought she would get scared of him and then leave him alone.

Sheathing his claws, he nodded to her and said, "You're not too bad, for a ThunderClan kit."

She sheathed her claws as well making her sister sigh in relief. Lionkit stifled a purr. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself. For a ShadowClan kit, that is."

"Lionkit!"

He turned at his name. "I have to go."

Leafkit flicked her tail. "See you around."

Running to his mother, she and his father were sitting with a silver she-cat who smelled strongly of herbs. Bloodclaw glanced at her mate and said, "Lionkit, this is Silverwing. She's a medicine cat and she's going to look you over to make sure you're healthy."

"But Blackblaze is a medicine cat. Why can't he do that?" He asked, glancing between the two cats. His father's fur bristled slightly, but he didn't answer the kit's question. His mother sighed and shrugged glancing at the medicine cat. The medicine cat scuffed her paws on the ground.

"Your father is really tired from his journey here and asked me to do it for him," Silverwing finally replied.

The kit gazed at his father who seemed to be controlling his anger. _Okay, I'll accept that response for now,_ he thought. "Okay," he mewed.

After Silverwing checked him over and declared he was as healthy as a kit could be, he went back to the nursery where he met the two she-cats. He liked how the lighter gray she-cat reacted to him. Sticking his head inside the entrance, he called softly, "Leafkit?"

A dark blue queen picked her head up from her paws. "She's off playing with some of the apprentices outside. You can wait in here for her to return if you want."

"Where outside?" He didn't want to wait; he wanted to see her _now_.

"Training clearing," The queen got to her paws and stretched. "Follow me."

Lionkit followed the queen as she led him through the thorn tunnel and back into the sunshine. He stayed close to the queen, not wanting to be left behind in unfamiliar territory. The trees opened up to a sandy clearing where apprentices and kits were playing in the clearing. A red tabby she-cat sat at the edge of the clearing in the shade watching the kits closely. The queen he was following went up to her and mewed, "Hey, Heatherwing."

"Hi, Bluefeather," The she-cat replied. She glanced at Lionkit. "Is he the new kit I've heard about?"

Bluefeather nodded. "Yep. Meet Lionkit. Lionkit, this is Heatherwing, another queen who stays in the nursery with me."

He nodded his focus on the cats in the clearing looking for the light gray she-cat. Spotting her, he ran into the clearing and up the kit. "Hey, Leafkit."

She looked up from her paws where she had captured a leaf. Her eyes seem to brighten as she saw him. "Lionkit! Wanna play?"

His ears pricked up. "Okay. What are we going to play?"

Leafkit shrugged. "I dunno. What about—look a butterfly!"

Lionkit watched as the she-cat jumped up into the air using her claws to capture the butterfly. She missed the first and second times, but one the third she snagged the butterfly's wing on her claws and landed on her paws. "I caught it!"

"Cool. Lemme see." He padded to her and she held out the butterfly. Lionkit sniffed it and before Leafkit could object he ate it. Glancing up at her and seeing her horrified expression he asked, "What?"

She flicked her ears in distress. "You ate the butterfly!"

"Yeah. So?"

"So?" She exclaimed. "It was a butterfly! It could upset your stomach!"

Not seeing the danger, Lionkit licked his paw and ran it over his ears. "Whatever."

Growling, Leafkit flicked her small tail and stalked off to Bluefeather. He stretched and looked around at the other cats. A red tabby kit was bouncing around chasing a tortoiseshell tom apprentice's tail. Two other apprentices, one a ginger she-cat and the other a black tom, practiced their fighting moves as another red tabby kit watched closely.

"Lionkit!" a voice called. He turned to see the dark blue queen flicking her tail for him to come. With a snort he followed as the two red tabby kits, one a she-cat and the other a tom but both clearly belonging to Heatherwing, joined the small group. Berrykit, Leafkit's sister, yawned and blinked her eyes with her ears flicking slightly. The two queens led the five kits back to camp and through the thorn tunnel. Once inside, Lionkit stretched as his mother talked quietly with the queens. He couldn't hear what they said, but Bluefeather and Heatherwing both gave a small nod. Blackblaze padded to him and licked his ears. "Have fun?" he asked.

"You could say that," he mumbled. His eyes had stayed on his mother and the queens. Now Bloodclaw was walking into the medicine den where Silverwing sniffed her and helped her inside through the curtain of brambles. "Why's Mom seeing the medicine cat?"

His father sighed. "Your mother has fallen ill. Silverwing is going to look after her until she's well."

_Why aren't you doing that?_ Lionkit wondered.

"You're going to stay in the nursery with the other kits and queens like you did in ShadowClan," Blackblaze continued changing the subject subtly. "Bloodclaw will join you as soon as she can. Until then Bluefeather and Heatherwing will take care of you."

"Okay."

Nudging him slightly, he whispered, "Why don't you go to the nursery and rest? It's been a long day."

Nodding, Lionkit padded to the nursery and entered. Berrykit was already curled up asleep, but Leafkit raised her small head at his scent. "Hey. You can sleep over here beside me if you want."

He walked over the moss and bracken finding the nest she was talking about. Padding around it, he curled up with her pelt brushing against his and drifted to sleep.


	3. Facing Death

**Chapter 3 - Facing Death**

Blackblaze watched his kit walk off and enter the nursery before going into the medicine den to check on his mate. She was curled up asleep on a moss nest off to the side and Silverwing, sitting in the middle of the den sorting herbs, looked up concern in her eyes. He bent his head and gave Bloodclaw a sniff before sitting before ThunderClan's medicine cat. His eyes stayed on the herbs she was sorting, but his mind was whirling.

"There's not much we could do for her now is there?" he asked hoping the silver she-cat would answer differently. When she answered his question with silence he sighed and answered his own question. "She's dying isn't she?"

She sighed as well. "Yes. There isn't anything I can do but ease her pain as she joins StarClan."

Looking up, Blackblaze saw the tears he wanted to shed in Silverwing's eyes. Any death for a medicine cat hurt him or her as much as the cats that cared for the deceased.

Silverwing cleared her throat. "You need to rest. I can give you a poppy seed."

He shook his head. "No need. Come get me if she starts getting worse." With an affectionate lick to her shoulder, Blackblaze left the den and padded to the warriors' den. A gray tom nodded to him and gestured to a nest near the back. Taking that as his place to sleep, he padded to the back of the den and curled up with his tail over his nose. Praying to StarClan Bloodclaw will recover from her illness, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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A paw prodding him in the side woke him up and he opened his eyes to gaze up at a red tom with green eyes. Blackblaze got to his paws and flicked his ears. Glancing around, he started to recognize StarClan's hunting grounds from his trips to the Moonpool, but not the cat that stood before him.

"I'm Flamefur," the red tom said seemingly reading his thoughts. "I was a ThunderClan medicine cat."

_That explains why I don't recognize him,_ he thought. "Why have you brought me here?"

Flamefur flicked his tail to follow him and the two toms started off in the direction of the lake. Blackblaze didn't see any other cats but he could feel them watching him.

The red tom stopped at the lakeshore and turned to him. "I want to say how sorry I am for your coming loss, but it's time for Bloodclaw to join us. You changed her from a rogue to a warrior by your words and love."

He fidgeted on his paws. "Why is it her time? She just recently kitted our kit. She's never been a warrior yet, only a queen. I want her to experience the life of a warrior."

"And she has!" Flamefur broke in. "By bringing her into Clan life, showing she can trust others, you've made her a warrior in her own way. But she's going to join StarClan soon. It's her fate."

Tearing the grass with his claws, Blackblaze shook his head. "No, it can't be."

The two toms stood in silence and the StarClan warrior turned his gaze to the lake. Blackblaze sighed and curled up on the grass. "It's her fate to die so soon?"

"Yes." Flamefur didn't break his gaze away from the lake.

Another sigh. "I'm just a medicine cat turned warrior. I know her illness can't be cured. Even despite my denial I know she'll die." The red tom didn't say anything. "Great StarClan, Bloodclaw is going to die," he wailed softly.

"But she'll walk these skies for moons to come."

Getting to his paws, Blackblaze nodded and stared across the lake as well. Flamefur pressed up against him and as the first light of dawn started to appear he blinked to find himself awake in the warriors' den. Other warriors were beginning to stir, but all froze as Silverwing appeared at the entrance. Her blue eyes reflected sadness.

"Blackblaze, I think you might want to come to the medicine den," she whispered.


	4. Crazed With Grief

**Chapter 4 - Crazed With Grief**

Stirring in his warm moss nest, Lionkit raised his head ears flicking. He could hear his father padding out of the warriors' den where he slept now and a sense of foreboding was making his pelt itch. Lionkit padded through the moss and tripped on a piece of bracken, rolling through the entrance in time to see Blackblaze follow Silverwing to the medicine den. Curiosity got a hold of him and he followed as well practicing as much of stalking as he knew.

He paused at the entrance and stepped lightly so either cat couldn't hear him. Blackblaze was standing by Bloodclaw whose breathing was harsh and fast. Silverwing sat a part from them, watching them with her ears drooped. His tail flicked and he willed it to stop as he edged closer.

"I'm so sorry, Bloodclaw, but you must go to StarClan," Lionkit's father muttered pressing his muzzle into her pelt. "But we'll be together soon, my love. Promise."

Shock coursed through his body then grief. _Bloodclaw's dying!_ He ran into the medicine den yelling, "No! She can't die! She just can't!"

Both Blackblaze and Silverwing glanced at him in surprise. "Lionkit! What are you doing in here?" exclaimed his father.

"Stay back!" The calico tom stopped in his paw steps at his son's command. "Don't come anywhere near me! Fix Bloodclaw!"

"Lionkit, we can't," Silverwing said softly staying where she was. "Your father has tried his best and so have I. She's on her way to StarClan now."

"NO!" Lionkit ran to his mother's side and put his front paws on her trying to shake her awake. "Bloodclaw, don't leave!"

Bloodclaw's eyes fluttered open and she shifted slightly. A gasp sounded behind Lionkit but he ignored it. His mother rasped her tongue over his ear and said as loud as she could between gasps of breath. "Do not…cry my…precious kit. I'll…be looking…over you in…StarClan."

He pressed his muzzle into her pelt. "Don't leave."

Rasping her tongue over his ear again, she stilled and her breathing stopped. Lionkit stayed there, grief overwhelming him.

_They killed her. They were medicine cats, and they killed her!_ He thought a sob shaking his body. _I will avenge her death! One way or another, I will.

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_**Sorry for the short chapter :( But the ending was perfect! Chapter 5 coming soon~~  
**


	5. Aggressive Kits

**Chapter 5 – Aggressive Kits**

It was days after the burial of Bloodclaw, Lionkit's mother. Leafkit watched the calico kit as he chased a leaf that always seemed to be a claw's stretch in front of him wondering what it was like to lose a parent. Ever since she was born, Bluefeather and Smokefoot had always been there for her and her sister Berrykit. It was hard to imagine the pain Lionkit was probably going through although he didn't show one second of it. He was a strong kit and Leafkit knew that whenever he became an apprentice and then a warrior, he'd be one of the best.

Lionkit captured the leaf and tore it to pieces with his claws. The gray she-cat flicked her ears in surprise. The anger the calico kit just showed was violent and focused as if he was envisioning the leaf as something.

"Lionkit?" she asked padding up to him. He glanced at her sharply before returning to the scraps of the leaf. "Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay; I'm great," he muttered, swatting at the leaf scraps. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged, moving in front of him to make him look at her. "You've attacked that leaf like it's a rogue cat. You are not 'okay'."

Lionkit glared at her. "If I say I'm okay, I'm okay."

Leafkit returned the glare not afraid of the calico. Ever since the first day she met him and he practically threatened her she wasn't afraid of what the kit could do. She was sure in her abilities. "I would beg to differ," she growled.

He launched himself at the gray she-cat and they rolled on the ground claws unsheathed trying to get at each other. Leafkit pulled herself away and they faced each other. Lionkit hissed and launched himself at her again; she sidestepped and jumped on top of him biting his ear. Through the fur and ear she growled, "You stupid fur ball! Why do you have to turn everything into a fight?"

Shaking her off, he faced her crouching in preparation for another attack. "Because I want to!" He ran towards her, but she didn't get him the chance to jump onto her. She ducked and hooked her paw behind one of his legs and tripped him. He fell to the ground and stayed there breathing heavily. Leafkit relaxed. Maybe the fur ball had finally decided the fight was stupid.

"Yaa!" Lionkit hopped onto her back and raked his claws along the length of her back. She screeched, but before she could shake him off his weight was pulled off and she turned to see Blackblaze, Lionkit's father, holding him by the scruff. Her mother was standing off to the side and Silverwing, the medicine cat, ran up to her with a bundle of herbs and inspected the scratches along her back.

"She'll be okay," Silverwing told her mother who, in her worry, had padded up behind her. "I'll put a herb poultice on it and check every day for infection. Other than that, she'll be good as new in no time."

Silverwing started rasping her tongue in soothing motions over the scratches and Leafkit purred some relaxing. Lionkit squirmed in his father's jaws in anger and swiped at his muzzle. Blackblaze dropped him immediately. "Never pick me up again! You're not my mother!" At that, the calico stalked off into the nursery. Leafkit flicked her ears and let the medicine cat pick her up by her scruff and carry her to the medicine den. She was laid gently on a soft moss nest and as the medicine cat gently patted the poultice into her scratches she fell asleep.

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A noise woke Leafkit and she flicked her ears hearing small paw steps. She raised her head to see Lionkit making his way quietly out of the nursery. Curious, she got to her paws keeping her mouth closed so her soft moans of pain wouldn't wake anyone and followed. As her paws left the nursery she saw the calico kit's tail disappear into the warriors' den. Leafkit looked around the camp and, seeing no one, followed the kit into the den.

"Lionkit!" she hissed into the dark being careful not to wake up the warriors. She spotted him making his way to Blackblaze. His claws came unsheathed as he reached his father. He crouched beside the nest and where Leafkit stood she could hear him growl quietly. Her fur bristled and she weaved as fast as she could through the sleeping cats tackling the kit right as he landed on his father. Lionkit managed to scratch his father's eye as she tackled him to the ground and rolled right into the back wall of the den. The two kits faced each other glaring and growling. Lionkit screeched in frustration. "Why do you keep messing things up?"

She tensed, ready to defend herself if he attacked again. Her scratches were burning and she could feel blood trickling from them. Instead of attacking her, he turned and jumped onto his father. Leafkit shook herself loosening her muscles and jumped on top of the kit that was trying to reach Blackblaze's throat. Blood started to trickle then flow as the kit made the scratch become deeper and deeper. She bit his hind leg making him let go of the medicine cat turned warrior and she grabbed him by the scruff yanking him back.

"Lemme go!" Lionkit hissed starting to struggle. Leafkit gripped onto his scruff more tightly as Blackblaze, who just woke up, started to tend to his wounds. Other warriors had also started to awaken from the noise. One warrior had ran from the den to get Silverwing to help Blackblaze. "Lemme go you gray snot of an excuse of a kit!"

Leafkit growled through his fur in anger but didn't let go. There was no chance she was going to let him get his claws on his father again. He might have hurt her, but she wasn't going to let him hurt other people just because. Silverwing came into the den and rushed to Blackblaze's side sniffing his wounds. Lionkit stopped squirming and warily she let go of him but sat on his tail so he couldn't move.

Silverwing licked the blood from the wound to his neck. "Not too deep. You'll be okay, Blackblaze. Let's get you to my den."

"Thank you, Silverwing," the black, orange and white tom mewed tiredly. He got to his paws and wavered slightly. The gray medicine cat pushed herself against his pelt and supported him as they padded out of the den. At the entrance, Silverwing turned and mewed, "Come along too, Leafkit. Your scratches have reopened."

With a glance at Lionkit, she got up off his tail and followed to the cats to the medicine den suddenly feeling all her aches and pains especially the scratches along her back. They stung and burned making her eyes water slightly. As she entered the den she promised to herself that the next time she and Lionkit fought she wasn't going to hold anything back. Not ever again.


	6. Soothing Words

**Thanks to all who reviewed! That was quite a surprise :) Here's chapter 6!**

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**Chapter 6 - Soothing Words**

Lionkit crept out of the nursery and padded to the medicine den to finish what he started. Since Leafkit, that worthless pile of gray kit snot, pulled him off Blackblaze when he was SO close to killing him she practically revealed his plans. Now he had to execute the last of his plans before anyone else figured him out. He stopped at the entrance to the den and pricked his ears listening for sounds within. Hearing none, Lionkit padded silently in and automatically glanced where he last saw his mother. Now Leafkit slept in the same moss nest snoring softly. He glanced to his left and saw a similar nest that Blackblaze was sleeping on. Anger made him tremble at the sight of his father, one of the people who wouldn't save his mother, but he knew attacking him would be worthless now. Everyone knew he had something against him. Instead of attacking the wounded calico tom, he padded farther into the medicine den and stopped at the soft scuffing of paws on the ground. Silverwing was still awake!

The small calico kit glanced around quickly and found a cleft in the wall that he could slip into. He had gotten his tail into the cleft right when the paw steps got louder and Lionkit saw Silverwing pass his vision unaware he was there. In the corner of his vision he saw her check Blackblaze then Leafkit before passing his vision again in the direction she came from. Lionkit listened for her paw steps to fade before slipping out of his hiding spot and following. His paws led him to another cleft much bigger than the one he had hidden in. Slipping through, he found that it led into a somewhat spacious room. Silverwing was curled up in a nest directly in the middle of it, eyes closed and breathing slow and even. He smirked and took a few paw steps forward. This was going to be easier than he thought.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" a voice asked behind him.

He turned to find a mostly white she-cat with orange around her paws behind him. His jaw dropped open. "Mother?"

She padded to him and licked his forehead affectionately. "Lionkit."

"But you're…dead," he muttered, looking her up and down. At her paws there seemed to be stars.

Bloodclaw flicked her ears. "I am. I'm a StarClan warrior now," She laid her tail on his shoulder and continued, "And you shouldn't avenge my death on your father and ThunderClan's medicine cat. They both tried their hardest to save me."

Lionkit raised his head high. "How did you know I was going to attack the medicine cat?"

Her eyes dropped to his paws. His eyes followed and he noticed his claws were still unsheathed from when he had prepared to leap. "Oh, right."

His mother purred slightly then sighed. "Lionkit, you're going to be an excellent warrior one day, I just know it, but your temper prevents that from happening." He opened his mouth but her tail moved in front of it stopping his words. "Just listen. I'm not saying you have to change your personality. You have fierce pride, loyalty, and love. You're courageous, brave… I just worry your failure to the warrior code will prevent you from being the warrior you should be."

"You didn't know about the warrior code until you met Father," he pointed out.

"I know," she glanced back at the cleft through which he entered where Blackblaze was. "But I realize now the warrior code is something worth following. You're great now without it; with it you'll be incredible."

Lionkit studied his mother's face and knew he wouldn't attack Silverwing tonight or any other night to come. Bloodclaw believed he could become an incredible warrior as long as he followed the warrior code and he knew she wanted him to be that. And that was enough reason for him to do it although he couldn't promise he'd follow it completely. Rules were created to be broken after all.

Bloodclaw touched noses with her son. "I must go now. Try to be good for me."

"I'll try," he mumbled watching her disappear into mist then vanish all together.

"Lionkit?" a soft familiar voice said. He turned to see Silverwing stirring in her nest then sit up. "What are you doing in here? Are you okay?"

With a small nod, he answered, "Yeah, I'm okay. Good night, Silverwing." Not waiting for her to ask why he was in her den, he slipped back through the cleft and left the medicine den to head back to the nursery. He finally felt at peace after days of misery, heartache, and anger. His paws led him to the moss nest that was beside Leafkit's and he curled up thinking about his mother. Remembering her soft voice and stories she told, Lionkit fell asleep.

* * *

"Did you hear, did you hear?" exclaimed Berrykit as she almost tripped entering the nursery. Leafkit and Lionkit looked up from tossing a ball of moss across the nursery. The dark gray she-cat tumbled to her sister's side and mewed, "We're becoming apprentices today!"

Leafkit's jaw dropped. "What?" It had been a few days since Lionkit had attacked his father and her at night. She knew the apprentice ceremony would be coming up soon as the moon started to become almost full like her mother said for the past five moons, but with her back scratched up from her fights with Lionkit she didn't think the ceremony would happen so soon or happen with her in it.

Berrykit nudged her sister. "We're becoming apprentices!"

"Even despite…" The pale gray she-cat discreetly glanced at Lionkit who seemed to not be paying attention at all as he batted the moss ball around. Berrykit nodded. "That's great! Hey, Lionkit! We three are going to be apprentices soon!"

He looked up and blinked. "Okay." His eyes dropped back down to the moss ball. The two she-cats watched him in silence as he batted it to and fro.

"How long has he been like this, Leafkit?" asked her sister softly. To her the calico kit was unusually subdued.

Leafkit shrugged slightly. "I think since yesterday. Maybe Silverwing gave him something."

"Maybe." The two she-cats turned at a rustling at the entrance of the nursery and Bluefeather entered. She gestured with her tail frantically. "Come, kits, come! It's time! You too, Lionkit!"

The three kits followed the dark blue queen out of the nursery and followed her to the front of the growing crowd of cats. She made them sit side by side and quickly licked each kit's fur until it was clean and straight. Smokefoot joined the small group and made his mate sit with him. Leafkit, Berrykit, and Lionkit looked up at the Highledge where Oakstar, ThunderClan's leader, stepped out and regarded his Clan.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" he yowled. The elders left their den made of elder bushes and sat outside the entrance. Once all the cats where gathered Oakstar jumped down from the Highledge and stood before the three kits.

"As leader of ThunderClan, I am about to perform one of my favorite duties. Berrykit, Leafkit, and Lionkit have reached the age of six moons and it is time for them to be apprenticed."

Berrykit glanced at Leafkit and the two sisters shared an excited look. The leader nodded to the darker of the two and said, "Berrykit," She stepped forward and Oakstar continued. "From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Berrypaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

The leader looked up and glanced over at a tortoiseshell she-cat. "Spottedpelt," He stepped forward. "You've done well in training Ivyfrost and I am sure you will pass on your knowledge of the warrior code to Berrypaw."

Spottedpelt and Berrypaw touched noses and Oakstar turned to Leafkit. "Leafkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Leafpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

He looked up and glanced to a dark blue tom. "Stormpelt, you are ready to take an apprentice now. You have shown yourself loyal and intelligent and I expect you will pass on all you know to Leafpaw."

Leafpaw padded up to Stormpelt and touched noses with him. He flicked his ears, and they turned to see the last of the ceremony. Oakstar was looking at Lionkit now. "Lionkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Lionpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. I, Oakstar, will be your mentor and pass on all my knowledge to you."

"Berrypaw, Leafpaw, Lionpaw! Berrypaw, Leafpaw, Lionpaw!" the Clan called out. Leafpaw padded up to her sister and mewed, "We're apprentices!"

"It's great!" she exclaimed. Her tail waved excitedly but stopped when Lionpaw came up. Berrypaw glanced at him before muttering, "I'm going to go see what Spottedpelt wants me to do."

Once she left, the calico tom sat beside the pale gray she-cat. "Leafpaw, I'm sorry for everything that's happened in the past few weeks. You're a great cat."

Leafpaw's pelt burned. "Thank you. Uh, you're a great cat too."

He nodded. "Thanks. Um… See you around then?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," he mewed, brightening some before running off. Leafpaw watched him stop to talk briefly with Oakstar before the pair left the camp and she wondered why was she wishing she could be with him.


	7. Twolegs

**Sorry it took so long T.T But here's chapter 7. And also sorry it's so short AND a cliff-hanger. I'll make them longer and better in the future.

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**Chapter 7 – Twolegs**

Lionpaw glanced over his shoulder to make sure the pale gray she-cat he's started to like was still behind him. She was, glancing off to the east with her ears pricked. He padded back to her and asked quietly, "Hear prey?"

With a quick nod, Leafpaw darted through the bushes. The calico tom waited as he heard a sharp squeak that was cut off. The apprentice came back with a mouse dangling from her jaws that she deposited by a tree and scratched dirt over. Her tail flicked with satisfaction and mewed, "Gets easier and easier each time."

Together the two apprentices padded farther into the forest staying alert for any other prey. They had already caught three mice, as many thrushes, and with a struck of luck a rabbit that was caught by Leafpaw. Between them they had caught seven pieces of prey for the fresh-kill pile and it was only beginning to reach sunhigh. Padding together, both cats slipped through a bush and froze.

"Twolegs," gasped Leafpaw quietly. Lionpaw gazed noticing a shiny object in the huge paws of the adult Twoleg and mewed, "Do you see the shiny thing the Twoleg is holding?"

Leafpaw craned her neck a little and nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

He crouched. "I bet you I can get it."

Before she could say anything, he darted off into the clearing belly close to the ground and tail streaming behind him. Leafpaw watched as he jumped onto the Twoleg's arm and clung onto it tightly. Slowly he pulled himself to the forepaws as the Twoleg tried to shake him free and managed to grab onto the shiny thing before being dropped. He padded back to Leafpaw and dropped it at her paws, tail erect in triumph.

She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, you stink!"

"I don't—," he paused as he finally took in his own scent. "Okay, I do stink. What do you think about the Twoleg object?"

"It stinks too," She replied nosing it. It was long and skinny until it reached one end before it branched into four spikes. "I don't know what it is. Should we take it back to camp?"

Lionpaw got a little defensive. He found it and he should keep it! But he knew Leafpaw knew what was best for the Clan he joined. So with a resigned nod, he pushed the fork into a bush. The two apprentices gathered their prey and ran back to camp to deposit their prey. The calico tom flicked his tail in farewell to Leafpaw before darting back into the forest for the Twoleg object. Leafpaw watched him pad off before deciding to follow.

"Lionpaw, wait for me," she shouted running to catch up. He stopped at the bush where he had hidden the silver thing and flicked his tail. Leafpaw joined him huffing slightly out of breath.

"Why did you follow me? I could have gotten it by myself," he grumbled.

Her fur bristled. "I know! I just wanted to tag along, that's all."

His ear twitched and he put a paw into the bush dragging out the Twoleg thing. "Whatever. Let's take this back to camp before the sun sets and we get into trouble."

"Okay."

Lionpaw picked the object up with his teeth and the pair started back in the direction of the camp. Leafpaw looked off into the distance ahead of her deep in thought. A loud rumble echoed through the forest and she looked up at the cloudless, blue sky.

"That cannot be good."

Her friend grumbled something, but she couldn't make it out with his mouth occupied. She looked behind her where the sound came from. The leaves on the branches were shivering and shaking. Both apprentices' fur bristled and Lionpaw dropped the Twoleg object as a huge Monster pushed its way towards them.

"Oh great StarClan," breathed Leafpaw.

"We need to run!" shouted Lionpaw tugging the gray she-cat's scruff. Slowly she began to follow then turned and started to pick up speed as they were followed. As she started to get ahead he called, "Warn the Clan! I'll be right behind you!"

She flicked her tail and disappeared into the undergrowth.


	8. Monster Attack

Here's chapter 8. Sorry it took sooooo long. I've been busy :(

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**Chapter 8 – Monster Attack**

"A monster is in the forest!" Leafpaw screeched tumbling into the hollow. Every cat around her stopped in their paw steps and stared at her. She quickly picked herself off the dirt floor and shook herself. "There's a monster in the forest!"

Oakstar bounded down from the Highledge and shouted, "Okay! This is not a drill! Everyone evacuate the camp! Ivyfrost, Bluefeather, Heatherwing: help the queens! Smokefoot, Blackblaze: help the elders! Silverwing and any other available warriors: make sure everyone makes it out!"

Leafpaw looked up at her leader. "What about Lionpaw? He's still in the forest!"

He looked down at her. "Right. Take me to where he is."

She gave a curt nod and darted through the entrance tunnel with the red tabby behind her. The monster's growl still filled the forest and as Leafpaw followed her own scent trail to where she knew she left Lionpaw. She skidded into the clearing where she had darted off and almost fainted when she didn't find Lionpaw. Oakstar stopped beside her panting looking around.

"His scent is here, but—," the Clan leader was cut off with the growl of the monster suddenly being cut off and a cat shrieked in the distance.

"LIONPAW!" Leafpaw screeched shooting through the trees in the direction of the shriek not waiting to see if Oakstar followed. She weaved gracefully through the undergrowth and leaped over fallen branches as if they weren't there at all. Her heart beat fast and her mind raced. The shriek was Lionpaw's. What happened to him? Was he okay? Trying not to think of what would she would do if he was dead, she clawed her way up a fallen tree and jumped down onto the other side ignoring the pain in her paw when she slightly twisted it on landing.

The monster that had chased the two apprentices earlier was crashed against a tree smoke rising from it. Inside the monster, Leafpaw saw a calico pelt pass by the hole in the side and bunched her muscles for a jump. She leaped and balanced herself in the hole. Lionpaw looked up from digging through something that smelled of Twoleg food. He purred at the sight of her. "Hey, Leafpaw. You should try this."

She leaped down and sniffed the food with a grimace. "I'd rather not. How could Twolegs eat this anyway?" Lionpaw shrugged. She sighed and looked out the front hole filled with an ice colored thing in it. The smoke had grown thicker. Leafpaw sniffed the air and her fur bristled. "We need to get out of here, Lionpaw!"

He lifted his head from the Twoleg food again. "What? Why?"

Leafpaw heard a small pop and she grabbed his scruff with her teeth, forcibly dragging him from the inside of the monster while ignoring his protests. She kept dragging him until they were a several tail lengths away and let go of his scruff. He shook himself irritably. "What in the name of StarClan was that for?" Lionpaw practically screeched. She flicked her tail at the monster and they both watched as it burst into flames. They jumped back, neck fur raised. "Never mind."

A red tabby slipped out from the bushes and padded to their sides. "Good, you're both safe. Let's go meet with the rest of the Clan. It's no longer safe here."

The two apprentices traded glances and followed their leader into the forest away from the fire.

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ThunderClan had gathered a tail length or two near WindClan's border next to the lake. Kits playfully ran from and to the water while the queens looked on. Silverwing walked among the gathered cats making sure they were all safe and well. When the trio arrived she trotted up to them and gave them all a thorough sniff. At Lionpaw she flicked her ears but didn't comment on his strong Twoleg scent.

"Silverwing, my paw hurts," Leafpaw spoke up as the medicine cat was finishing her checking. She lifted her paw and the other cat gently touched it with her nose. The gray she-cat apprentice hissed in pain.

"Hmm," Silverwing sniffed it. "It's swollen. What happened?" When the apprentice shrugged she sighed. "Very well. Lionpaw, help her walk over to the lake."

The calico apprentice rolled his eyes but said nothing as he pushed his shoulder against Leafpaw's to help support her. The pair slowly made their way to the lake in silence with Leafpaw holding her paw up so it won't touch the ground. They stopped at a soft, sandy spot and Lionpaw gently helped his friend lay down on her side. She started licking her twisted paw making small whimpering noises.

Lionpaw watched her for a few minutes before raising his head and bringing the air over his scent glands. He grunted and walked off into a direction until he found a clump of stinging nettle. Carefully he took some of the leaves and padded back to where Leafpaw laid still licking her paw. He dropped the leaves down and nudged them toward her. "Here, chew these and apply them to your paw. It'll help with the swelling."

She glanced at him before doing as he said. Soon a smooth layer of pulp was on her paw and Leafpaw sighed in relief. "Thank you, Lionpaw. How did you know what to use?"

He shrugged and sat, wrapping his tail around his paws. "My father used to be a medicine cat."

"Hmm," She rested her head onto a paw and looked up at him. He shifted slightly under her gaze before mewing, "I should go see if Oakstar wants me to do something."

Before Leafpaw could say anything he padded off to where the leader was talking with his deputy. She sighed and closed her eyes deciding to just enjoy the sun and relax. It had been a while before she could do that without a mentor or another warrior giving her orders.

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At the last second, Lionpaw diverged from his path to his mentor and entered a little ways into the forest. The smell of monster, fire, and smoke was still strong in the air despite the distance from where the monster died and where the Clan had gathered safely near the lake. He gazed into the forest to where he knew the monster was and thought about how strange it was to have one there. Lionpaw knew there was an old Thunderpath near the ThunderClan-ShadowClan border, but it was very old and didn't have the smell of monsters about it. Where this monster came from was a mystery and as long as it provided a danger to his Clan they were vulnerable.

The bushes rustled near him and a strong scent of ShadowClan flooded the air. His fur bristled as he crouched staring straight at the bush that had moved. It now stood still, but the scent of ShadowClan still clung to it and the air. Lionpaw stared and flicked his ears listening for any more sounds of a patrol.

A pair of black ears appeared over the bush and a whispered voice said, "ThunderClan scent is strong near here."

"Hmm. Then they should be taking shelter near the lake. Fresh water and comfortable moss; it would be a nice place to stay until the Clan decided the camp was safe," another voice added.

Lionpaw started stalking up to the bush prepared to jump onto the invaders. He knew there probably had to be more ShadowClan warriors nearby, but he could easily take on two warriors. The warriors had quieted and were once again moving through the undergrowth making Lionpaw's stalking easier.

_They're going to scare off the prey the way they're moving,_ he thought as he paused to scent the air. The pair of warriors had stopped to scent the air as well and he was making sure they were still in front of him. Taking the opportunity, he started forward while they were still.

CRACK!

Lionpaw froze as the two warriors turned to face him growling.

"Fox dung," he muttered unsheathing his claws.

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Please review!


	9. Invasion

**Chapter 9 - Invasion**

A black tom and white tom stood before Lionpaw claws out and teeth bared. He bared his teeth as well and let out a fearsome growl that didn't do anything to the warriors, not even blink.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked the black tom. He started to circle the apprentice as the white tom stayed put. "A stray sheep away from its herd?"

Lionpaw held back any remarks and insults he wanted to say and focused on the black warrior as well as the white warrior. There was no way in StarClan he was going to let two ShadowClan warriors get the upper paw on him. He needed to get back to his Clan and alert them.

_But I guess they know that too._

The white warrior flicked his tail. "Quite a mousebrained sheep then." They both laughed and he held back from growling, trying to take hold of his temper.

"Think of Leafpaw, think of Leafpaw," he muttered keeping his eyes on both warriors. Instead of calming him though, the thought of his best friend and love interest angered him. Lionpaw thought of the times they fought and got into arguments; how she always seemed to win at everything. Growling, he launched himself on the nearest cat, the white ShadowClan warrior, and sank his teeth into his ear. The warrior yowled and shook himself trying to dislodge Lionpaw. The apprentice jerked his head and ripped the ear off making blood spatter onto his muzzle.

He jumped off the cat and swiftly ate the ear before launching himself at the black warrior. Lionpaw raked his claws down the length of the cat's flank and chomped on his tail. It gained a yowl from that warrior too and the black cat turned on him claws aiming for his eyes.

"Too slow!" Lionpaw shouted as he jumped to the side out of the way and caught the muzzle of the warrior with his claws. "Gotta be faster to catch this sheep."

From behind, the warrior he ripped and ate the ear off of jumped onto his back and sank his teeth into his muzzle. Lionpaw shook him off and raked his claws over the wound he had left earlier. The warrior backed up and hissed, "This isn't worth it, Blackfang. Let's get out of here."

Blackfang darted off after the white warrior into the forest leaving the apprentice panting for breath. He absently licked his shoulder and flicked his tail considering which to do: go to his Clan and tell them about the invasion or follow the ShadowClan warriors.

"Lionpaw!"

He turned and met a party of cats with claws unsheathed. At the head of it stood his mentor and Clan leader whose gaze darted around the small clearing and mouth open to scent the air. After a few moments he finally mewed, "Which direction?"

Silently, the apprentice pointed his tail in the direction Blackfang and his fellow warrior ran in.

Oakstar gave a brisk nod and signaled for his party to follow him before following the two invaders. His father, Blackblaze, brought up the rear and stopped before him to check Lionpaw's wounds. With a disapproving growl he muttered, "Go back to Silverwing and get your neck checked."

Lionpaw spat on the ground. "Foxdung. It's just a flesh wound."

"That could get infected," his father added. "Go to Silverwing."

With a disdainful glare, he growled low in his throat and stalked off in the direction of the makeshift camp. His mood lifted as he scented Leafpaw near the lake and he darted to her side to find her sleeping, ears twitching slightly. The smell of a herbs clung to the paw that she injured rescuing him. Silverwing sat off to the side, far away to give her room but close enough to come to her if she was needed. He glanced at Leafpaw once more before trudging to the medicine cat's side. She looked at his face then the wound his father made him go back for and asked, "Got into a fight?"

He blinked. "Maybe."

She sighed and got to her paws. "Follow me and I'll see about it."

The pair walked off to a rock with a flat surface. On top of it in separate, neat piles was a small collection of herbs that were commonly used to treat wounds: marigold to prevent infection, poppy seeds to relieve pain, goldenrod to help wounds heal, and dock to sooth the stinging of scratches. Silverwing gestured for him to sit and pawed to her a few leaves of marigold and goldenrod. Checking to see if they were fresh, she instructed, "Clean the wound as best as you can."

Lionpaw sat and rasped his tongue over the wound several times making faces at the taste of ShadowClan that had stayed on his fur. Silverwing chewed the herbs she had pawed to herself spat the paste out onto a leaf. When the apprentice finished licking, he craned his neck for the medicine cat to apply the poultice she made. She gently pressed it into the bites and scratches.

"All right," Silverwing said as she pressed the last of the poultice on the wound. "You're free to join the fight. But don't strain yourself too much."

He flicked his tail and bounded into the forest with a last glimpse of the sleeping Leafpaw.


	10. It's Never Pretty

**Here's the next installment of TLaTL ^^ Hope you enjoy.

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**Chapter 10 - It's Never Pretty**

Ivyfrost led ThunderClan into battle with her leader by her side. Since the time she became deputy she never participated in battles caused by another Clan entering their territory. Of course, she had been a part of many border skirmishes, some that she had 'accidentally' started, but going up against most, if not all, of the opposing Clan was a new experience. ThunderClan's deputy knew that some of her fellow warriors, and friends, will become wounded or even die in this battle. The thought made her growl, baring her teeth. She wouldn't let her friends fall at the paws of ShadowClan.

"Ivyfrost, take half the Clan and attack from the left and back. I'll take the rest and attack from the front and right," Oakstar ordered, signaling with his tail for the half nearest him to follow. Ivyfrost nodded and led her half into the forest. With her tail, she signaled for some cats to enter the trees and prepare to attack from the air. The rest she set into position to prepare for the attack.

I hope StarClan is watching over us.

"Attack!" she shouted running through the bushes. Her fellow warriors followed behind her and charged right into the ShadowClan warriors. Screeches and howls filled the air as claws met fur and flesh. Blood splattered into air. Ivyfrost pinpointed the ShadowClan deputy, Bramblefoot, and jumped onto him. They rolled into a tree with hisses and growls clawing each other. The deputy broke from her grasp and raked his claws down her side. She made a low sound and hissed, "You filthy, mousebrained fox dung eater!"

She hooked her claws into his fur and slammed him into the tree behind her dazing him. His eyes blinked slowly and she slashed at his throat with her claws. A long gash appeared spilling blood. ShadowClan's deputy came back to his senses and shakily got back onto his paws before falling back down to the ground, dead.

Ivyfrost spat on the body. "No one messes with ThunderClan!"

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Lionpaw heard the sounds of battle before he skidded into the clearing where ThunderClan and ShadowClan clashed. He caught the sight of Ivyfrost taking down ShadowClan's deputy and then turning on the next opposing warrior. His mentor and leader, Oakstar, fought at the edge of the clearing against three warriors and an apprentice. He recognized the tom warrior fighting by his side as his father, Blackblaze. The black calico with orange and white spots had been wounded in his fighting: several cuts and scratches bled along his torso and flank and the tip of his ear was ragged. He turned his gaze away from his father at a screech to his left. Berrypaw was cornered and trying in vain to fight back against three ShadowClan warriors. A fast scan of the clearing showed her mentor was busy fighting by Stormpelt, Leafpaw's mentor.

Without thought, he ran up behind the three ShadowClan warriors and landed on the closest cat's back. He bit savagely into the tom's neck ripping open a major vein and felt him fall to the ground limp. One of the other warriors fell on top of him, clawing his ear and the side of his face. Blood dripped into Lionpaw's right eye and mouth. He spat it out and rolled over pinning the warrior under him.

"Don't you ever dare to mess with my beloved's sister! Ever!" he growled ripping open his throat with his claws. The cat shuddered then fell limp as well. Lionpaw slowly rose to his paws and turned on the last warrior. She glanced around quickly with fear in her eyes. By the look of the she-cat, he reckoned her to be a new warrior who was also new to battle and death. He hissed at her and she fled into the forest in the direction of ShadowClan's territory.

"Humph." Lionpaw watched her flee before turning to Berrypaw. She was pressed up against the tree trunk shivering some. Blood had dried on her muzzle and chest fur. He stepped forward and asked, "You okay?"

Berrypaw nodded. "Thank you for saving me, Lionpaw. I really thought I was going to be killed by them."

"It was nothing."

"ShadowClan! Retreat!" The ShadowClan leader's voice echoed through the clearing. All the warriors and apprentices broke from the fighting and ran back into the forest, some with their tails between their legs. Some ThunderClan warriors followed to make sure they crossed the border leaving the tired and wounded behind.

Oakstar padded into the middle of the clearing. "Any wounded should go back to camp. Any remainder warriors not wounded or helping the wounded should remain."

Slowly cats started to leave the clearing leaving Oakstar, Ivyfrost, Berrypaw, Lionpaw, and some warriors and apprentices. Dead ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats littered the clearing and the smell of death filled the air. Lionpaw stared at them deep in thought wondering how Leafpaw was doing at the makeshift camp when one of the bodies twitched and started to move. Berrypaw also noticed and shouted, "Oakstar, look!"

All the cats in the clearing turned to see Blackblaze rise unsteadily to his paws before slumping back onto the ground with his paws under him. Compared to earlier when Lionpaw saw him, he was much bloodier and was missing an ear along with his tail. One of the eyes were closed and glued shut by dried blood. Oakstar went immediately to his side and started to talk to him in soft tones. He looked at Lionpaw after a moment and said, "Blackblaze wants to talk to you."

His ears twitched and muttered, "Whatever." Lionpaw padded to the pair and sat in front of his father.

"Lionpaw," He tried reaching out a paw but couldn't and restarted what he was saying. "Lionpaw, I'm dying."

Lionpaw's ears flicked again. "Yeah. But can't you fix yourself? You're a medicine-"

"Yes, I'm a medicine cat," Blackblaze chucked a little. "But my knowledge will not heal these wounds. It's time I joined StarClan."

His fur bristled. "What do you mean?"

"Since your mother died, I knew my time would come soon. She took a part of me with her to StarClan. It's time I regained my second half."

Speechless, Lionpaw watched as Blackblaze's head fell to the ground, his one unwounded eye closing. His chest stopped moving and the apprentice could have sworn on StarClan that he was a ghost of his father leave the body. He bowed his head and lifted it as the sound of kicked up leaves met his ears. Leafpaw bounded into the clearing stumbling slightly because of her wounded paw and stopped by Lionpaw and Oakstar. Her breath came in pants and she said, "Silverwing wants to know if any other warriors are injured here."

All the cats that had remained behind stayed silent and glanced at Lionpaw. She followed their gaze. The apprentice raised his head and muttered, "No. There's no more wounded."

In Leafpaw's ear, Berrypaw whispered, "He just watched his father die."

"Oh."

Silence filled the clearing and Oakstar said, "All the apprentices should return to camp. Any able warriors will help take the dead back to be readied for burial."

Leafpaw and Berrypaw started to head back, but the light gray apprentice stopped at the edge of the clearing before entering the forest. She turned to look back at Lionpaw. "You heard him, Lionpaw. We need to go back."

He flicked his tail and nodded. "Sure." Lionpaw got to his paws and followed the two she-cats.

Oakstar watched the apprentices leave before turning back to the dead of not only his Clan, but ShadowClan too.

"Death is never pretty," he muttered before gesturing for a warrior to help him carry the body off to the side.


	11. Without the Hollow

**First, sorry this chapter is so short~ The second part I started writing didn't feel write so I decided to post as-is (which is this). The next chapters should be longer. I'll definitely try for them to be ^^**

**Second, I've changed my pen name. It's Sky Stormsong now~**

**Third, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed so far. Your input has been interesting and fun to read ^^ And despite the short chapters, you've continued to follow the story! That deserves at least a virtual cookie, no?**

**~Enjoy, Sky.

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**Chapter 11 - Without the Hollow**

Dust settled around ThunderClan and over the lake. Leafpaw sat in the sand close to the water looking at the makeshift camp her Clan had been living in for nearly a moon. Unknowing to her clanmates during the battle, their hollow was destroyed by a fire the crashed monster had created. Repairs were underway, but the gray she-cat knew despite all her Clan's efforts, the hollow will not be the same anytime soon. Tensions were high among everyone. Without a proper camp, ThunderClan was vulnerable to other attacks from other Clans, not only ShadowClan. Not only that, but if ShadowClan and WindClan found out, they would probably take advantage of the Clan and steal prey.

She sighed. In a few days it would be a full moon and the Gathering would take place. After that all the Clans will know and ThunderClan will be in mousedung. A lot of mousedung.

Lionpaw ran by her carrying a huge rabbit in his jaws to lay on the fresh-kill pile. He avoided looking at her and went immediately to the apprentices' den that was under a small overhang of branches from two trees that interlocked. This made her pur in amusement. Since the battle against ShadowClan, the calico tom went out of his way to avoid the gray she-cat. During the battle, Lionpaw had saved her sister Berrypaw from three warriors. In the process he had admitted his love for Leafpaw while attacking the ShadowClan warriors. When Berrypaw could, she had went straight to her and told her all about it. Leafpaw found it amusing that he loved her. Actually, she kind of had feelings for him as well. She had already decided she wasn't going to tell him; the tom was a little crazy sometimes. Besides, he denied to everyone who asked him about his love. She didn't want to risk the chances of him not really loving her and Berrypaw mistaking what she heard.

Her mentor padded up to her and sat beside her. "You're to go with the group to the Gathering in a few days. I know it's early for the decision, but the leader is preparing for what's to come."

"It's not going to be good, is it?" she asked. "ThunderClan has no camp; we're living in the forest. We're vulnerable to attacks. The other Clans will hear of this and-"

"It's not going to happen, Leafpaw," Stormpelt mewed, cutting off his apprentice's sentence. "ThunderClan is strong and Oakstar knows what to do. All that is left is finishing the hollow and showing that despite whatever has happened, we're still strong."

She nodded slowly. Leafpaw knew her mentor was right, but it still worried her about what could happen and with the tension in the Clan as it is didn't help.

"You should go and sleep now," her mentor advised getting up. "There's a lot to do tomorrow. The leader thinks the queens and elders may be able to return to the hollow tomorrow."

"Okay."

Stormpelt nodded and walked off to join a small group of warriors. Leafpaw got to her paws and padded over to the apprentices' makeshift den. Inside Lionpaw was already fast asleep, tail slightly twitching. She shook her head purring slightly before going to her nest. Once she was curled up with her tail tip over her nose, she found sleep easy to come.


	12. The Gathering

**Finally, chapter 12. And a longer chapter too! Hope you enjoy!**

**~Sky

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**Chapter 12 - The Gathering**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather..." Oakstar let the call die as all of ThunderClan looked up to him. He had chosen a tree branch somewhat high off the ground where he could address his Clan and have a meeting. The call was so familiar to him that he almost said Highledge, but out of the hollow near the lake wasn't home, wasn't the real place of ThunderClan. The red tabby regarded his Clan silently seeing the worry reflected in every cat's eyes. They all knew why he was calling the Clan together and, like him, didn't look forward to what the meeting could lead to. That night was the night of the full moon, the night of the Gathering. Without their hollow, other Clans could take their weakness and exploit it at their will. All the cats knew this and waited with trepidation for the full moon to show itself.

Oakstar sat on the branch with his tail hanging off behind him. With a small sigh, he mewed, "Let's forget the formalities this time," The Clan nodded, the clearing filled with tense silence. He continued, "The full moon is tonight and as all the Clan knows, tonight is the Gathering on the island. We have all been looking forward to this moment with worry and trepidation. We've all wondered what the other Clans would do if they found out about our position. Some cats have even come to me and asked if we could 'forget' the Gathering was here and not make an appearance.

"I have thought long about our situation and what has been brought to me." Oakstar paused a second before continuing with emotion lacing his voice. "ThunderClan will attend the Gathering as usual. 'Forgetting' this tradition out of fear for our Clan is cowardice in my eyes. We're ThunderClan, for StarClan's sake! We can take on anything that dares threaten our Clan! Did we not chase ShadowClan off our territory? Did we not survive the monster attack? We have proven we are strong, and we will prove it again if necessary!"

The members of the Clan started whispering among themselves nodding in agreement. A warrior shouted, "We can take them!" Other warriors agreed with him and an apprentice shouted, "ThunderClan!" Oakstar watched as his Clan went from quiet and worried to loud and prideful. The chant of ThunderClan grew in crescendo and he nodded to Ivyfrost to calm them down.

Nodding to show she understood, Ivyfrost go to her paws and shouted, "All right, that's enough! If you keep that up you'll scare all the prey away!"

After the Clan quieted, Oakstar meowed in an authoritative voice, "ThunderClan will go the Gathering and despite what will happen, we will show our strength and prove that ThunderClan can't be taken advantage of." With the end of his speech, he jumped down to the ground and gestured for his deputy to follow him. The pair padded off into the forest a little ways until they found a small clearing. Oakstar glanced back to where his Clan was. Mews of excitement filled the air and he chuckled, "That wasn't exactly what I expected."

Ivyfrost nodded, amusement filling her eyes. "Perhaps, yes, but you have given new hope to the Clan."

The leader tilted his head. "I wouldn't say I have given them new hope. What I have done is rekindle their pride for their Clan."

She nodded. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Ivyfrost asked, "Are you planning to report the monster attack? No one knows of it but us, and it could happen to others. RiverClan and ShadowClan are close to Thunderpaths that are used often. If a monster attack happened on our territory, think of what could happen in theirs?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure yet. It'll open ourselves to attack, but it'll also help the other Clans protect themselves. It's information they need to know."

"May I give my opinion?"

"Sure."

The pale gray she-cat turned her eyes to where the Clan was beyond the trees. "I think we should tell them. We are a strong Clan and if they are mousebrained enough to attack us then let them. We'll show them that we don't let not having a proper Clan camp weaken us."

Oakstar nodded and mused, "Yes, that's a wise thing to do. And perhaps the Clans won't attack us. Maybe they'll be too preoccupied with defending their Clans from monsters to do so? There is also leaf-fall coming up soon. Prey will become scarcer and scarcer as it progresses. Leaders will be making sure there is enough prey for leaf-bare."

"Any smart leader would work for the Clan betterment before attacking just because the leader could."

"Yes," he looked up at the sky. It was nearing sunhigh. "I need to go organize the cats that'll attend the Gathering. You should get some sleep. I expect you to join me as always."

"Of course, Oakstar."

* * *

Silverpelt with the warriors of StarClan appeared as it slowly became moonhigh. Leafpaw stood with her sister, Berrypaw, and Lionpaw near their leaders. The pale gray she-cat watched her sister and the calico tom whisper together in their small group. By the fierceness of the whispers, Leafpaw guessed it was a heated argument. About what she didn't know, but watching Lionpaw's tail erratically twitch and Berrypaw baring her teeth was funny. She had never seen the two so angry in her lifetime.

Stormpelt padded up to her side and regarded the pair of apprentices. With a disappointed sigh, he said, "It's almost time to go. Break them up and tell them the same or they'll be left behind."

"Okay," Leafpaw replied, but her mentor had already walked away to join the group of warriors talking by the makeshift fresh-kill pile. She shrugged and got to her paws with a tired stretch. Thinking she was possibly going to regret getting involved, the light gray apprentice slowly approached them.

"You're full of yourself! Why would you think she'd even take you?" Berrypaw said as Leafpaw got near enough to hear the whispered argument. Curious, Leafpaw asked, "Who take who?"

Her sister glanced at her surprised and stuttered, "N-no one. We were just talking."

Lionpaw rolled his eyes. "She thinks I can't obtain a certain she-cat as a mate."

A fuzzy feeling filled Leafpaw from nose to tail tip. "Who's the she-cat?"

He stared at her blankly before answering, "No one."

"You, Leafpaw." Her sister added.

"Lionpaw wants _me_ as a mate?" Leafpaw asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Tell her, Lionpaw." Berrypaw nudged the tom with a paw. "Tell her that you love her."

"Who? Me? I have no idea what you're talking about," he muttered turning away. The darker gray she-cat rolled her eyes and turned to Leafpaw. "He's in denial."

Speechless, Leafpaw watched Lionpaw wander to the group that was going to leave for the Gathering. Her sister brushed her tail along her flank.

"What are you thinking?" Berrypaw asked.

"Nothing. Let's go."

The pair of she-cats ran up to the group as it started to leave the camp. Leafpaw kept her eyes to the ground as they walked, lost in thought. She wondered if Lionpaw did really love her and if he was just hiding it behind his clueless front. The she-cat was certainly in love with the tom and despite the possibility of him loving her back, she didn't want to put herself in a spot where he didn't share the same feelings. Leafpaw didn't want her heart broken. Especially not by the one tom she had become friends with.

"It's a lovely night tonight, isn't it?"

Berrypaw's words broke through Leafpaw's thinking. She looked up at the night sky to see all the stars shining brightly with no clouds in sight. The full moon stood out the most, lighting the way in the darkness to the island on the lake. "It looks like StarClan approves of us attending."

Her sister nodded and sighed. "I kind of hoped they wouldn't, you know? We're defenseless without our hollow to protect us."

"But we're strong."

"Yeah, but," she shook her head. "I just don't want the chance to prove it."

Leafpaw nodded in agreement. "I understand how you feel, but I have a feeling StarClan wouldn't allow it."

"I hope so."

Oakstar gave the signal for the group to stop at the tree that led onto the island. Warriors started onto the trunk and gracefully crossed the water. When Leafpaw's turn came, she stood straight and slowly crossed the trunk without looking down. As her paws hit the coast of the island, she took a deep breath and sighed. Lionpaw and Berrypaw had followed and looked curiously at her.

"I don't understand how RiverClan cats can stand the water," she gave as a response to the looks. The trio walked together into the forest headed for the clearing where the Gathering was held. Voices filled the still, cool night air.

"ShadowClan's here," commented Berrypaw wrinkling her nose.

They pushed through some undergrowth and entered the clearing where a small group of ShadowClan cats had sat. Lionpaw flicked his ears and started off into the direction where he had sat at the last Gathering. Leafpaw glanced at the groups and started to follow. Her ears couldn't help picking up some of the conversation though as she passed the group.

"Is that the apprentice?"

"Yeah, that's the one that ate Whitefur's ear."

"I don't believe it. Are you sure Whitefur wasn't lying and got his ear ripped off in the battle?"

"No. He's serious. Did you see the wound? There were teeth marks!"

Leafpaw glanced over her shoulder before sprinting to catch up with Lionpaw. When she reached his spot, she asked panting, "You _ate_ a ShadowClan warrior's ear?" Her voice was disbelieving yet angered slightly.

Lionpaw looked up at her and shrugged. "I've had better freshkill."

_And this is the tom that I have fallen in love with,_ she thought exasperated. _A cannibal._

"Sure," she muttered sitting down beside him. Slowly the clearing filled with warriors and apprentices of all Clans. Some started to share tongues and mew quietly to each other. Leafpaw watched as, one by one, leaders started to take to the low-lying branches. On the far left sat WindClan's slightly scrawny leader, Willowstar. Beside Willowstar sat Stormstar, the dark gray leader of ShadowClan. Oakstar took the space beside Stormstar and on his right was Featherstar, RiverClan's sleek leader. Everything went quiet after they took their places and Featherstar waved her tail for quiet.

Standing, she gazed back at the other leaders. "If the other leaders don't mind, I'd like to report first." When all the leaders gave nods, she turned her gaze to the gathering of cats. "RiverClan doesn't have much to report. There are two new kits who were born to Lilypetal. The prey is still running in abundance."

She stepped back and Willowstar took her place. "WindClan also doesn't have much to report except that Birchpaw is now Birchfoot." At her name, the warrior stood to face the congratulations. After they started to die, she retook her place. The leader looked around. "That is all WindClan has to report."

Stormstar took her place. "ShadowClan has a new warrior as well; Blackpaw is now Blackwing." The black warrior stood like Birchfoot to face the congratulations. Leafpaw glanced at Lionpaw who had started to insult the warrior and rolled her eyes. The insults died with the congratulations and Leafpaw shook her head, listening again to the leader.

"ShadowClan has had no problems hunting prey and look forward to the challenges of leaf-fall and leaf-bare."

He sat and Oakstar stood. Leafpaw's ears perked up along with Lionpaw's. Around the clearing she could tell that other ThunderClan cats were perking up wondering what their leader was going to say. The red tabby looked out over the crowd and meowed, "ThunderClan has been doing well. The prey is still running. We do not have any new kits or warriors."

"He's not going to say it, is he?" asked Leafpaw in a whisper to know in particular. Perhaps Berrypaw would get her wish.

"We have had some problems though in our territory. A few sunrises ago a monster crashed into one of ThunderClan's territory." Oakstar stopped there as the whole clearing filled with muttering.

"A monster? But aren't they confined to Thunderpaths?" questioned Willowstar. Featherstar nodded her agreement with the question.

Oakstar glanced at Stormstar before replying, "Not anymore it seems. This monster was well away from the Thunderpath that makes the border between ShadowClan and ThunderClan and that one hasn't been used in a long time."

Lionpaw sighed. "Now here comes the decision: will the Clans see this as a weakness to ThunderClan or will they see it as a danger to their own Clans."

The light gray she-cat shot a glance at him in surprise. "Yes, I guess we will see." She turned her eyes back to the leaders.

"If it has happened to ThunderClan, it could happen to the other Clans as well," the red tabby leader continued on. "Especially ShadowClan and RiverClan. There are more Thunderpaths there and they're more active than the ShadowClan-ThunderClan border."

Featherstar nodded. "Yes. It's a big danger to all the Clans with Thunderpaths in their territory. ThunderClan was protected by StarClan; it's cats were well away from the crash and didn't suffer any casualties."

"Thank you, Oakstar, for sharing this information with us all," included Willowstar.

Oakstar nodded. "That is all I have to report for ThunderClan," he finished sitting down.

"If there is no more to report, this Gathering is over." Willowstar looked to the other leaders. "No? Then we all shall meet at the next full moon, StarClan willing."

The leaders started to descend from the branches. Oakstar signaled for his tail for ThunderClan to group up and leave. Leafpaw pushed herself to her paws and stretched. Lionpaw got up along with her and glanced at the gathering Clans.

"We should get going," he muttered.

"Yeah," she agreed. Together they ran to catch up with their Clan. Crossing the water wasn't as bad this time for Leafpaw, but she was too tired to care about the water. By the time she reached the camp, she was almost asleep on her paws. They entered the makeshift apprentices' den and curled up in their nests. Berrypaw joined them and fell instantly asleep as she curled up in her nest. Leafpaw wrapped her tail around her so the tip was over her nose and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Lionpaw," she mumbled, nearly asleep.

"Night," he mumbled back. She curled up tighter in her nest and fell asleep.


	13. Leaffall's End

**Chapter 13 - Leaf-fall's End**

Leaf-fall had come and went with surprising speed, thought Ivyfrost as she silently watched a mouse nibble at a nut it had found on the ground. Fallen leaves surrounded her and filled the forest with colors. The wind was chilly and left the deputy of ThunderClan forcing down her shivers as she hunted for her Clan. With an athletic leap, she pounced on the mouse and bit into its neck. Warm blood flooded her mouth and she sighed in bliss at the taste. Ivyfrost knew she couldn't eat the fresh-kill before her Clan was fed, but she couldn't deny the wonderful taste that mouse filled her senses with.

Idly she wondered if this would be the last of the prey before leaf-bare set in and made the rest go away.

* * *

Lionpaw stretched out chest almost touching the ground after weaving the last bits of bramble into the nursery wall. Since the Gathering, all cats able had been devoting their time to hunting and restoring the hollow to the way it was. With leaf-fall's passing, the Clan didn't have long until leaf-bare dug in its claws and made living harsher for the cats. Many had expressed their worry and Oakstar had assured everyone that the Clan's camp would be back sooner than later. The young calico at first hadn't believed the red tabby's words, but as the dens' walls became patched and nests were created the vision the leader had given all became more and more real.

A cold breeze passed through the hollow and his ears twitched as he tried not shiver. The other cats in the hollow helping rebuild the camp looked up from their work as the breeze met them as well, as if the breeze was a sign to everyone. The apprentice looked up through the opening of the hollow to the sky. Gray clouds were already spreading across the sky. He sighed, thinking, _It's going to snow before we finish the dens._

Seeming to respond to his thinking, small flakes of snow started to fall and dust the ground with white. A few heads popped out of the entrance to some of the dens and looked to the sky. Spottedpelt, Berrypaw's mentor, appeared out of the medicine cat's den and looked around. "Any repairs unfinished?" she asked the gathered cats. None of the cats spoke up and she flicked her tail. "Then I'll go tell Oakstar that we're all finished."

The spotted tabby she-cat ran out of the bramble tunnel. Everyone who had been working on the camp grouped together wherever there was cover from the snow and sat, sharing tongues. Lionpaw slipped into the apprentices' den and sat inside the entrance.

Snowflakes continued to fall lazily to the ground as the first of the Clan entered the hollow. More groups started to form as friends joined together, talking excitedly under the shelter of something or other. A few warriors brought what was left of the fresh-kill pile and stacked the prey in the traditional spot. Leafpaw and Berrypaw came in soon after carrying packets of herbs ahead of Silverwing. The three she-cats ducked through the bramble curtain covering the entrance to the medicine cat's den. Lionpaw's got distracted from watching them go as a familiar red tabby entered and jumped onto the Highledge.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Cats who had disappeared into their dens came out at the call. Elders slowly came out of their den and took seats right outside it. Warriors took places before the Highledge and Lionpaw got to his paws to join them. Soon after Leafpaw joined him at his side followed by Berrypaw. She flicked her tail at his ear and mewed, "It's great to be back into our home isn't it?"

He felt his heart soar at her words, but didn't let it show through his demeanor as he answered. "Yeah, I guess."

The trio looked up as Oakstar started to speak.

"Leaf-fall has been replaced by leaf-bare," he started. "And we have been working for three moons to bring ThunderClan's camp back to its former glory. I'm sure StarClan is watching over us now, proud of our perseverance and continuance to work even though odds weren't in our favor.

"also proud of our Clan as well. We have achieved a goal that could have taken longer than expected, yet we accomplished it in such a short time; just in time for the first snowfalls of leaf-bare."

Oakstar paused in his speech to regard his warriors and continued, "Tonight, we'll celebrate and relax. But tomorrow, we'll go back to our daily lifestyles. Leaf-bare will not take us down."

He disappeared into his den at the end of his speech and all the cats started speaking to each other in soft tones. The warriors who had worked on the camp that day went directly for the fresh-kill pile.

Leafpaw tilted her head to the side. "Huh. I just realized something."

Berrypaw glanced at her. "What?"

The light gray she-cat flicked her ears. "It's been six moons since we became apprentices."

At the statement, Lionpaw's ears perked up. Leafpaw's sister narrowed her eyes. "Yes. So?"

"So? So?" Her sister shook her head. "You really don't know? We can become warriors soon!"

"Oh," Berrypaw said, surprised. The calico tom shook his head in disappointment.

Flicking her tail at her, Leafpaw mewed in laughter. "Sometimes you can be so clueless, Berrypaw."

"Whatever."

Lionpaw glanced over at the Highledge where Oakstar had came out of his den. The red tabby tom's gaze drifted over his Clan before locking with the apprentice's. He gestured with his tail for Lionpaw to come and went back into his den.

He flicked an ear. "I'll be right back."

"Um, okay," Leafpaw said as he got to his paws and darted up to Highledge. From there, he climbed up to the leader's den and paused at the entrance unsure if he should go in.

"You can enter, Lionpaw," a voice said from within. The apprentice stepped through the lichen curtain. Near the back, Oakstar sat tail wrapped around his paws. He nodded to his apprentice. "Please sit."

Doing as told, he took a seat in front of his mentor and draped his tail over his paws. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked.

The leader blinked. "Blunt as always I see. I wanted to tell you that your evaluations are coming up soon."

"To become a warrior?"

"What else could it be?" he asked back. The two stared at each other before Lionpaw nodded his head. "I'm sure you'll do good. I doubt there is a reason you won't become a warrior, Lionpaw, despite the...misunderstandings of the past."

Lionpaw flicked his tail. "What misunderstandings?"

"Do you really need me to go into them?" The apprentice shook his head. "Good. You should go eat and rest now. I know you've been working hard lately. Your work will not go unnoticed."

He nodded and got to his paws. Before he exited the den, Oakstar called, "Oh, and Lionpaw, meet me at the camp entrance at dawn."

"Of course, Oakstar."


	14. Red Snow

**Chapter 14 - Red Snow**

"Leafpaw, hunting patrol!" Stormpelt called into the apprentices' den. The light gray apprentice looked up groggily and got unsteadily to her paws. As she woke up more, she stumbled slightly out of the den and into the bright sunlight of early morning. Her eyes squinted against the sudden light as she joined her mentor to leave the camp. During the night, a fresh layer of snow had fallen to cover the camp's ground. Several tracks of paw steps already marred it showing the way the dawn patrol and other cats had left earlier. Stormpelt led the way through the bramble tunnel and turned toward the forest where snow that had managed to get through the branches made patches on the ground. At the edge of the forest stood Spottedpelt with Berrypaw and Oakstar with Lionpaw. Excitement shocked Leafpaw to wakefulness as she realized what this patrol would really mean. _Warrior evaluations!_ she excitedly thought joining the group of cats.

Oakstar nodded to the newcomers. "Let's get started, shall we?" He turned to the apprentices. "You all will part into different directions and hunt on your own. Your mentors will follow behind you, but do not let that disrupt your hunting. They will be hidden out of sight."

Leafpaw started shaking, almost unable to wait any more. She had been waiting for this day since she was a kit. Lionpaw gently laid his tail on her shoulder trying to calm her and she settled down a little. She turned to look at her mentor who twitched his ears in amusement making her skin burn with embarrassment under her light gray fur.

"You three can go now," their leader said, stepping back. Berrypaw immediately went for the lake. Lionpaw glanced over at her before going straight into the forest heading to the right. Leafpaw watched them leave before going in the opposite direction of the other apprentices. She took care to step lightly on the snow and avoid twigs and kept her mouth open to draw in scents. The clean, crisp scent of snow and air filled her senses and had some undertones of mice and voles. Following a scent trail, she lowered herself to the ground until her belly fur almost touched the snow and padded forward, tense. She gently stepped through a bush without a sound and found herself on the outskirts of a small clearing. Two mice were crouched in the middle, eating nuts that hadn't been found by squirrels before leaf-bare.

_All right. Time to show Stormpelt that I'm ready to be a warrior_, she thought getting into the hunter's crouch. Leafpaw watched the two mice eat, ears perked for any other sounds that could alert them. _One, two...three!_

Leafpaw leaped out of the bush and pounced on both mice. She bit into the back of the neck of the first mouse she got to and bashed the second mouse with her paw. Dropping the first, she quickly bit the second in the neck as well before it recovered from being stunned. Under the nearest tree, she scratched at the dirt and snow to make a small hole to store her fresh-kill and scratched dirt over them. Her gaze came up to regard the forest, prideful of her first two kills.

_I wonder how Lionpaw is doing?_ she idly thought as she continued back in the forest. Soon she caught the scent trail of a vole and followed that. The closer she got, the stronger the scent of vole became with another scent intertwined with it. Twitching her tail slightly, she quietly broke through a low lying bush and stopped before a dead vole. She sniffed it and hissed slightly. _ShadowClan scent!_

Looking around her, she tried in vain to locate her mentor's dark blue fur. Leafpaw gave up after her first two sweeps and opened her mouth, drawing in the scent. She nodded. Definitely ShadowClan. Unwilling to wait for her mentor to intervene, she followed the trail.

* * *

"Wha-?" Stormpelt broke into a dash after his apprentice. He had watched her sniff the dead vole and scan the trees for something until something made her run in the direction of the ThunderClan-ShadowClan border.

Skidding to a halt, he panted as he walked up to the border. Leafpaw stood there facing five warriors and two apprentices. He slowly approached her from behind.

"You're stealing our prey!" she shouted, tail lashing the air. Stormpelt's mind went back to the vole she had found and understanding dawned him. His fur stood on end as he faced the group as well.

"You kittypets have no idea what you're talking about," a black ShadowClan warrior shot back. "It probably died of old age!"

"Then why does it have your Clan scent all over it!"

The warrior launched himself over the border at Leafpaw. She dodged and aimed her claws at his muzzle. Another warrior launched himself at Stormpelt and knocked him to the ground. He growled and pushed the cat off of him and raked his claws down the warrior's side. She howled and backed off a little before attacking him again.

"Leafpaw!" a duo of voices shouted from behind. Berrypaw and Lionpaw rushed to the border, bowling into the ShadowClan apprentices and followed by their mentors. Stormpelt scratched his opponent's eyes making the she-cat back up and run off onto her territory. He didn't have much time to enjoy his small victory as two other warriors brought their attacks to him.

* * *

The light gray apprentice backed away from her attacker licked blood off her shoulder. Somehow the black warrior had gotten through Leafpaw's defense and gave her shoulder a gash. She looked around the small battlefield looking for Lionpaw, but didn't find him before the ShadowClan warrior attacked her again, giving her a scratch to the muzzle. Yelping, she jumped back and stumbled over a tree root. She regained her footing quickly and leaped onto her opponent, biting his ear and holding on. The ShadowClan warrior shook her off and she fell to the ground with a soft thump.

"Leafpaw!"

Her name called, she looked in the direction of it and saw Berrypaw bloodied and on the ground. Her sister's attacker approached closer for a kill and Leafpaw growled dashing forward.

"Leave my sister alone!" She screeched, landing a well aimed scratch above the eyes. The attacker became blinded by blood and ran off across the border to his territory. Leafpaw turned to her sister and examined her quickly. A long gash ran down her belly, bleeding heavily. Her eyes were open and showing she was slightly alert, but not much. The darker gray she-cat groaned in pain causing the lighter gray she-cat to moan. "Come on, Berrypaw, hold on."

Leafpaw turned and came face to face with one of the largest cats she had ever seen. By the looks of him, he was one of the better ShadowClan warriors. Her eyes widened in terror some, but she held her ground, claws out ready for an attack.

The warrior went in for an attack, but a flash of color entered from the corner of her eye and brought down the warrior in a tangle of legs and tails. Lionpaw bit into the neck of the warrior and ripped out a small portion of it. He spit it out as he was knocked off of the cat and started to chase the warrior as he ran off across his border. Leafpaw watched in horror and awe as Oakstar came up behind him and grabbed him by the tail before he could cross the border too. She noticed that the other ShadowClan cats had also ran off across the border to avoid further wounds.

Around the ThunderClan cats, blood drenched the snow. One ShadowClan cat laid in a puddle of blood, killed by one of the warriors. Leafpaw turned her attention back to Berrypaw and licked at her wounds. Her tongue went in a little with the gash on her belly, but she was careful not to cause anymore harm.

Oakstar came up from behind and laid his tail on her shoulder. "Go get Silverwing. I'll watch over her."

Glancing up at her leader, she solemnly nodded and ran off toward camp. The entire way she couldn't get the image of red snow and her wounded sister out of her mind.


	15. Until the End, I'll Follow You

**Chapter 15 - Until the End, I'll Follow**

Leafpaw curled into a tight ball in her nest thinking about her sister. After the fight at the ShadowClan-ThunderClan border, Berrypaw had remained in the medicine cat den. Her body was covered in multiple swatches of spider web that never seemed to stop the bleeding and a herby scent surrounded her. The light gray apprentice feared that despite whatever Silverwing did, Berrypaw might join StarClan earlier than any of them would imagine. Her fate was in StarClan's paws now.

She closed her eyes and sighed, ears drooping. Leafpaw decided that it wouldn't do her and her Clan any good to stay awake worrying about her sister. She uneasily fell asleep.

* * *

Before her was an unfamiliar meadow, none Leafpaw had seen before. It was filled with fragrant flowers and herbs and was colorful to the apprentice. Despite not knowing her surroundings, she felt at home here in this strange meadow. It felt like she was in ThunderClan camp among her Clanmates.

Among the flowers and grass, a spot of color unlike the others surrounding it moved catching the eyes of Leafpaw. She tilted her head and watched as it stopped. She knew it to be an animal, maybe even a cat, but among the various scents she couldn't distinguish a certain one. The color was also hard to determine; she thought it to be a mix of white, orange, brown and black. When the color moved again, the light gray she-cat gave chase.

The color led her across the seemingly endless meadow, but Leafpaw kept chase, her curiosity getting the better of her. She ignored the exhaustion that was beginning to take over her and the fatigue that was trying to settle in her muscles. The apprentice needed to know what the color was. It seemed to her she should know what it was even when she couldn't even think of any word for it.

Suddenly the meadow ended and a forest began. She skidded to a stop at the outskirts of it and looked in, panting. In one of the shadows, she could tell, was the color she chased. Without any light to see by though, she still couldn't recognize the familiar thing.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Why do you seem so familiar?"

It stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. Lionpaw stood before her, his calico coat shining in the warm sunlight. Her ears twitched happily and she bounded forward to nuzzle him affectionately. The tom licked her affectionately behind her ear and whispered, "Leafpaw, my love."

A warm feeling spread through the she-cat. For so long did she wish to hear those words. Speechless, she pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. They rolled around on the ground, playfully fighting each other with claws sheathed. Leafpaw felt so happy, so complete, like everything was right in the world. She knew her sister was still in the medicine cat den covered in spider webs that had to be changed often because of her bleeding, but somewhere inside of her she just _knew_ that Berrypaw would survive and become a warrior with her and Lionpaw.

Lionpaw gained an advantage and pinned her to ground so she couldn't move. He panted above her and purred in laughter. "I finally win."

"No way!" She squirmed under him. When she didn't find any way to break his hold, she relaxed and muttered, "Okay, you win."

"_Who win?_"

In a flash, the meadow, forest and cheerful Lionpaw was replaced by the apprentices' den and her father, Smokefoot. She got to her paws quickly and stretched. "It was nothing. What's wrong? Is Berrypaw better?"

Her father touched her shoulder gently with his tail. "You should come see for yourself," he said quietly.

* * *

Her mother Bluefeather, her father, and herself sat around Berrypaw's nest looking down on her with Silverwing sitting behind them. A solemn silence filled the den.

"So, she's dead?" asked Bluefeather, her voice breaking slightly. "My daughter is dead?"

"I'm sorry. I tried everything that I possibly could, but StarClan had other plans." The medicine cat replied calmly.

"She was to be a warrior soon," commented Leafpaw. "Why did they have to kill her?"

Smokefoot nuzzled her gently, soothingly. "You do not know if ShadowClan killed her. Everything happens for a reason, Leafpaw. If StarClan has taken her, they had a very good reason to do so."

"I hope so."

Silence filled the den once more.

"I need to prepare her for the vigil now," Silverwing whispered. "Can you help me carry her out?"

The two warriors nodded as the apprentice watched. They gently picked her up by the fore and back legs and stepped out of the den into the clearing. There they let the body rest. The medicine cat went back into her den and came out with a collection of herbs in her mouth. She glanced from one to the other. "I"m sorry to dismiss you, but I need to do this alone. I'll come for you when it's complete."

The three nodded and parted. Bluefeather and Smokefoot went to the warriors' den where a few warriors sat. They talked for a few moments before the pair disappeared into the den. Leafpaw slowly padded over to the apprentices' den and laid down in the shade by the entrance where she could watch Silverwing prepare the body.

It wasn't long before Lionpaw joined the apprentice. He took a spot beside her and followed her gaze to the dead apprentice and the medicine cat. "She might have been an apprentice, but she died a warrior," he said.

She turned her gaze to him then dropped it to the ground. "I hope they accept her as a warrior then. She deserves it."

He nodded and rested his head on his paws. "I was talking to Oakstar earlier. He said that Berrypaw will get her warrior name."

Her ears twitched. "Really?"

"Yeah." Lionpaw swished his tail in thought. "You know you still have me right?"

Leafpaw's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't let the sudden twist of emotions show through in her voice. "What do you mean? Are you admitting that you love me?"

"In a way, yes. I guess," He paused a second. "Regardless of what StarClan has planned, I'll follow you every step of the way." She didn't say anything and he sighed a little. "Was my approach at the wrong time?"

She purred a little. "A little, yes. I love you too, by the way, and I'll follow you as well."

He purred as well. "Great."

The two entwined tails and snuggled closer. Leafpaw took comfort in the warmth of Lionpaw's fur and knew that despite what despair the day had brought, later days would be better.

Silverwing walked over after the last touches were done. "You're free to sit vigil now, but I suspect Oakstar may want to hold a Clan meeting especially for this."


	16. StarClan's New Warrior

**Chapter 16 - StarClan's New Warrior**

As if he heard her, the leader stepped out and called out the familiar words that gathered the Clan for a meeting. Together, the apprentices moved over to the body of Berrypaw and sat by her.

"ThunderClan, today we have lost an apprentice," he started. A few heads bowed. "But StarClan has gained a new warrior. Berrypaw was a courageous and brave apprentice who fought to the end. In honor of what she has done for ThunderClan, I would like StarClan to accept her as a warrior with the name Berryfrost."

"Berryfrost, Berryfrost, Berryfrost!" Chanted the gathered cats.

When the chanting quieted, Oakstar continued, "There are two other apprentices who have reached the end of their apprenticeship. Leafpaw, Lionpaw; step forward."

The apprentices step forward and the leader turned to Stormfur. "Stormfur, you have mentored Leafpaw these past six moons. Do you believe you have completely mentored her of our Code and the ways of a warrior?"

He dipped his head. "I do."

"Then from this moment on, let StarClan know that his apprentice's warrior name is Leafstorm. Let her perseverance and bravery continue to serve this Clan."

Oakstar then turned to his apprentice. "I have mentored Lionpaw these past six moons and I believe also that he has learned the Code and the ways of a warrior. His bravery, courage and stubbornness has suited him well as an apprentice and will as a warrior. I believe he has the heart of a true warrior. Let StarClan know from now on that his warrior name is Lionheart."

"Leafstorm, Lionheart! Leafstorm, Lionheart!"

The chant rose and filled the hollow. The two new warriors turned to each other and touched noses. Together they will serve ThunderClan as warriors until StarClan claims them; but, until then they had each other and to Leafstorm and Lionheart, that was more than enough.

* * *

**A/N: And that is the end of _The Lion and the Leaf_. But for readers who are wondering, "_Is there a continuance with Lionheart and Leafstorm?_", I have the answer. I do plan to create a "sequel" to this, but the main characters will not be the main characters of this story. I'm not sure who will be, but I do know, it'll take a different course.**

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoyed.**

**-Sky-  
**


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